Rail-controller.



W. H. BOYD.

RAIL CONTROLLER.

A' ERLICATION FILED SEPT.17, 1913.

1 1 08,688 Patented Aug; 25, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

3 "new to;

W. H. BOYD.

RAIL CONTROLLER.

A-PIILIOATION TILED SEPT.17,1913.

1, 1 $8,688 Patented Aug. 25, 1914.

2 SHEETS SHEET 2.

an ucu 01,

al'k'ozucag UNITED STATES PATENT osision.

WILLIAM H. mm, or HELENA, OKLAHOMA.

RAIL-(IQNTROLLER Specification of Letters Batent. 1

Patented Aug. 25,- rate.

7 Application filed September 17, 1913. -Seria1No. "780,278.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. Born, a citizen of the United States, residing at Helena, in the county of Alfalfa and State of Oklahoma, have invented new and useful Improvements in Rail-Controllers, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to means for compensating for the expansion and contraction of railroad rails, the object being to provide a structure whereby the rails will be prevented from buckling and forcedout.

of rcgister'when they are expanded and. for pulling apart and breaking the joint fastenings when they are contracted, and wherein the gage of the track will be perfectly maintainedregardless of the climatic changes to which they 'are subjected. I

\Vith the above and other objects in View, the improvement resides in the construction and arrangement of parts set forth in the is a similar view on the line bb of Fig. 1,

Fig. 5 is a similar viewon the line 0-0 of Flg. 1, Fig. '6 is a similar view on the line 68-01 of Fig. 1, Fig. 7 is a perspective ,view I of one ofthe compensating rails, and Fig. 8.

is a detail view in perspective of one of the brackets. 1

" \Vhile it is. well known, it is considered appropriate that a brief statement regarding I the effect of climatic changes upon railway rails be made The natural expansion of the metal causes the rails to crowd 'ahead-to the point of least resistance, as at the lap of the the rails at this point, and'as a consequence rai joint. This expansion naturally crowds bends the rails and forces the same out of proper engagement, the result of which being the deraiiment of the rolling stock which passes-over the rails. When the rails are contracted by cold the act-ion is reversed. The contraction of the metal causes the rails to draw apart at-points oflcast resistance (as for instance at the lapped joints of the rails). The said contraction frequently p'ulls vthe joint fastenings apart or breaks said ends, and in addition to the angle bars the securing elements of the said joint fastening, and as a consequence, renders the tracks susceptible to lateral movement, or

out of proper engagement, which also frequently results in the derailment of the train which travels upon the tracks, The above efi'ects upon the rails are especially true when the rails are sub ected to intense heat or to intense cold, and it may be considered the primary object of the inventionto provide simple, cheap and effective means,-

vwhich may be readily applied at desired oints upon any ordinary construction of rail joint and whicit'will' effectively and automatically provide compensating means =to* brought out of proper gage and alinernent under all weatheroonditions. I

In the drawings, the mam'rails are desig nated by the numerals R-Rand R' R';

The rails R, in the showing of the said draw-. ings have their ends out angularly,"as'-indicated by the numerals 1. The ends of the said rails have secured thereto angle bars'2,

which project a suitable distance from the I provide the tie=T which-is disposed below the saidrail ends with a metallic plate 3, which is secured thereto in any desired or preferred manner, the said plate serving as a rest for the ends of the'rails R, and extending a suitable distance beyond the outer edges of the angle bars 2. Removably con-- nected with the extending ends of the plate 3 are brace members 4 which contact with the outer vertical members of the angle bars,

and-,l-in the present instance, I have found it desirable to provide the angle bars 2 .with

' heads or crests 5 which abut withthe'outer faces of the heads of the rails R. The ties T may be sunk a distance below the remaining ties equaling the thickness of the plate 3,

and the rails Rare secured to the remaining ties through the medium of the usua spikes S.

:The rails R have their ends terminating their outer faces beveled or inclined toward their. ends, as indicated by the numerals 6. These rails R have secured thereto spaced transversely arranged connccting'plates 7, the said plate in the showing of the drawings being connected with the inner faces of the rails, but, of course, the said plates may be connected with the rails, R in-any' other suitable or desired manner. Itjtijlt' b noted quite a distance away from the angular ends- 1 of the rails R and the said. rails it" have lar end 6 of the rails 1 that one of the plates is disposed adjacent the ends of the railsR, and the second plate disposed a suitable distance from the first mentioned plate, the pla es 7 providing means for properly gaging the rails R and preventing the lateral movement of the said rails toward each other.. In addition to the plates 7, the rails to the outer edge of the outer spacing plate are secured to the ties by the spikes S.

li/iy compensating means includes the employment of two rail sections indicated by the numerals 8-8. Each of these rail compensating rail members 8 includes a longitudinal or straight portion 9 which has its end beveled, as at 10, to interlock or co-act with the beveled end 1 of each of the rails R, and the said rail members 8 further provide an ular, portions 11 which are bent outwardly i rom their longitudinal straight portions 9 and which engage with the beveled or inclined portions 6 of the rails R. The angular portions 11 terminate upon the tie to which the. rails R are spiked, and doubleheaded spikes 12 may be inserted within the said tie to engage with the outer flanges of .the rails'R' and the inner flanges of the angular portions 11 of the compensating rails 8.

' Additional spikes may be employed which engage with the outer flanges of the angular portions 11 of the compensating rails, but the said spikes are not adapted to interfere with the swinging of the compensating rails, in a manner which will presently be described. The tics T upon which the beveled ends 6 of the rails R rest, and at the juncture of the angular and straight portions 9 and '11 of the compensating rails have provided thereon plates 12 and 13 respectively which underlie the rails R and the compensating rails. These plates extend a suitable distance to the opposite sides of the rails, and each of the plates has its end provided with an angular bracket 14, and the horizontal portion of each of the brackets is preferably provided with a centrally arranged threaded or bolt extension 15 upon which is arranged a nut 16 as well as a coil spring 170'flw-hich abuts-with the nut and which has its tension regulated. by the adjustment of the nut. The springs enter the hollow ends of, what I will term, pressure members 18, the said members abutting with the webs .upon the outer faces or sides of the compensating rails 8, and so forcing the angular portions thereof against the angu- In addition to the members 18, I have found it desirable to provide the longitudinally straight portions ofthe compensating rails with openings disposed within their Webs and which register with similar openings provided in the Webs of the angle bars 2, the said alining openings being adapted to receive mosses a rod 19 which has its opposite endthreaded. Arranged upon the opposite ends of the said bar 19 are pressure members in the nature of tubular elements 20, the ends of the tubes through which the rods pass being provided with only reduced openings suflicient to receive the said rods, while the opposite ends of the tubes are open and are adapted to receive springs 22 and 23 which surround the threaded ends of the rod and abut against the inner faces of the said tubes. Nuts 24 and 25 are provided upon the threaded ends of the rod 19 and washers 26 are preferably disposed upon the said rods between the nuts and the springs, the

nuts 24 and 25 being employed for forcing thetubular members 20 and 21 against the outer faces of the angle bars 2 to rce the said angle bars into proper contact with the outer walls of the straight portions 9 of the compensating rails 8.

it is. of course, to be understood that a suitable space is arranged between the her-- elcd ends 1i) ol the comp-L-usating rails 8 and the beveled curls 1 oi the rails ll to permit of the expansion of {he mils it will further be noted that the rails ll, as well as the rails R are, prevented, through the medium of the spacing plates or bars as vxoll as through the medium of the angle bars from lateral movement in either direction. 'lhere'l'ore, the said plates are only permitted a longitudinal moven'ient. The compensating rails are also permitted a limited longitudinal movement, but a'swinging which is normally prevented by the spring pressure members. We will suppose that the rails It and R are expanded by the heat. The rails R are moved longitudinally until contacted by the angular ends 10 of the compensating rails 8. The rails R will also more longitudinally toward the ends of the rails It. It is to be understood that the rails R are at all times held in proper spaced relation with each other, and such longitudinal movement of the rails will cause the compensating rails 8 to be swung outwardly against the tension of their spring pressure members. It will be further noted by reference to the drawings that the longitudinal portion of the compensating rails is comparatively less than the distance between two of the spikes, while the angular portions of said rails are of a far greater length, but each of said compensating rails is not of a sufficient length to permit of the elements expanding or contract ing the said rails to any great extent, and so the rails R will move on the inclined or angular portions 11 of the rails a sufficient distance to compensate for the expansion oi. the said rails 1t, and the rails'R will contact with the inclined ends 10 of the short portions 9 of the compensating rails 8 and if the expansion is great enough, will force the same rcarwardly or toward the rails R",

' tions 11 of the compensating rails 8 to swing the said compensating rails away from the said rails R without bringing the ends of the rails R out of register with the short straight portions 9 of-the compensating rails and out of register with the rails B.

When the rails R and R are subjected to contraction, a precise opposite operation occurs. The compensating rails 8, While sub ject to an outward swinging movement, may

be regarded as stationary, and the spring pressure members acting upon the rails as well as upon the fish plates 2 will force the compensating rails tightly against the inclined portion 6 of the. railsR and hold the inner faces of the straightened portions '9 of the said rails in alinement with the rails R.

From the above description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the simplicity of the device as Well as the advantages thereof will, it is thought, be perfectly apparent to those skilled in the art to which such inventions appertain without further detailed description.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is: In a device for the purpose set forth, registering rails having their'ends spaced, angle bars engaging the outer faces of two of the adjacent rails and amending beyond the ends thereof, brace members for'the angle bars, a rod passing through the angle bars beyond the rail ends, tubular members adjustably secured to the opposite ends of the rod, springs within'the sion upon the angle bars, compensating rails for filling the gapsbetween the registering rails, each of said compensating rails including a straight and an angle portion and the said straight portions of thesaid compensating rails having their ends arranged in contact with the ends of the aforementioned rails and also in contacting engagement with the angle bars, the second mentioned pair of registering rails having their sides beveled outwardly from their ends and engaged by the angular portions of the compensating rails, brace means for preventing the lateral movement of the compensating rails in an outward direction, and said brace members permitting a longitudinal movement of the said compensating rails to move the same laterally, into contact with the ends of the first mentioned registering rails.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM H. BOYD. Witnesses:

VIOLA MoGULLY, J. W. MCCULLY.

tubes and exerting a ten- 

